1. Using & finding journal articles & conference papers
Watching her granny by Spyros Papaspyropoulos
The Grandmasters of Washington Square by Phil Roeder
Courtyard, public space by La Citta Vita
Using & finding journal articles & conference papers
bankok by Roberto Trombetta
Hola bokkie, come sit with me by gwendolen
The Sunday Read by Andrew E. Larsen

2. The types of literature that you will find
Journal articles
The types of literature that you will find
Journals come in two types – “trade” and “scholarly”
Trade journals deal with day to day practicalities of professional practice → they are not so useful for higher order thinking
Scholarly journals report the analyses, professional debates, research findings, new theories – perfect sources to support your higher order thinking
You may find scholarly articles difficult to understand – you won’t be on your own, sometimes very experienced professionals can find some journal articles difficult to understand
Scholarly articles usually deal with a specific topic in detail – this makes them an idea source for higher order thinking – they provide the building blocks for your thinking and the evidence for your solutions
Conference papers
The types of literature that you will find
See what practicing Planners are doing and thinking about at the time of the conference
Reports on how Planners are putting the scholarly and research thinking into practice – eg. what’s working, where the problems are, reflections for future practice

3. Finding journal articles & conference papers - Preparation
There are different ways to search for journal articles and conference papers. You can search individual databases, or you can use Library Search to search a number of databases at the same time
But beware, Library Search doesn’t search all databases. The key database for Planning that it doesn’t search is Scopus , but Library Search should be an excellent starting point for most Planning topics (including those related to integrated transport)
Just as with searching for books, when you search journal article and conference databases, your search terms are trying to match up against records for the papers and when matches are found, those records go into your search results. But the journal articles and conference paper records usually have more words to match against because they often contain abstracts
So, before your fingers hit that keyboard, think carefully about how to search – higher order thinking is important for searching too
If you are not used to really thinking through your search strategies, look at and listen to my pre-search thinking about transportation as a factor influencing experiences of social isolation. It should help you think through your own literature need/s.

4. Finding journal articles & conference papers - Searching
So, now that we’ve thought through some possible search terms and have developed the first search strategy, it’s time to see the searching in action. Two demonstrations are provided:
With Library Search
With Scopus
It does take time and practice to become an efficient searcher so don’t be disappointed if your search results are lacking a little at first – that’s how it is for most of us
And, if you want help or advice (or maybe even a little re-assurance), just contact me:
me – if isn’t the best way to answer, I’ll contact you to arrange a mutually convenient time to call you –
If you’re in Toowoomba, ring me on or pop by my office – Z467 (Mon & Tues); R215 (Wed – Fri)
If you’re more than 50km away from Toowoomba, ring for free
If you are near a campus in Hervey Bay, Springfield or Ipswich, pop into those campus libraries and ask for help

5. Evaluating the quality of the literature that you find
At this stage of your studies, you should be evaluating literature before you use it. You don’t want to go into professional practice with no idea how to tell whether particular information should really be informing your decision making
The same goes for people moving into their fourth year research project or other Honours programs
If you don’t have an evaluation criteria that you are used to using, try this one – it’s suitable for all disciplines – science-based and social sciences.

6. Other resources in this suite of online help
Introduction to the example topic & setting the scene
The Planning literature & your assignments
Accessible from the platform resource – URP4001: Finding and using the Planning literature
Finding & using documents from professional organisations & governments
Finding & using books & videos
In-text referencing
If you need more help, contact the Library – we’re here for you!!

7. Image acknowledgements
All images used in accordance with their Creative Commons licences
Watching her granny by Spyros Papaspyropoulos
The Grandmasters of Washington Square by Phil Roeder
Courtyard, public space by La Citta Vita
Hola bokkie, come sit with me by gwendolen
bankok by Roberto Trombetta
The Sunday Read by Andrew E. Larsen